An immigrant group based in Bern has called for the emblematic white cross to be removed from the Swiss national flag because as a Christian symbol it "no longer corresponds to today's multicultural Switzerland."

Ivica Petrusic, the vice president of Second@s Plus, a lobbying group that represents mostly Muslim second-generation foreigners in Switzerland (who colloquially are known as secondos) says the group will launch a nationwide campaign in October to ask Swiss citizens to consider adopting a flag that is less offensive to Muslim immigrants.

In a September 18 interview with the Swiss newspaper Aargauer Zeitung, Petrusic said the cross has a Christian background and while the Christian roots of Switzerland should be respected, "it is necessary to separate church and state" because "Switzerland today has a great religious and cultural diversity. One has to ask if the State wants to continue building up a symbol in which many people no longer believe."

In the interview, Petrusic said Switzerland needs new symbols with which everyone, including non-Christians, can identify. As an alternative to the current Swiss flag (see image here), Petrusic proposed the former flag of the Helvetic Republic (see image here) which was officially introduced in 1799 and consisted of green, red and yellow colors. "Those colors are similar to the current flags of Bolivia and Ghana and would represent a more progressive and open-minded Switzerland," Petrusic said.

This is a school example of how the destruction of identity is couched in such lovely terms as 'progressive' and 'open-minded'. There's a lesson here.

But that is not the main point. This is: Reactions to this absurd proposal where furious all round:

The proposal to change the Swiss flag has been met with outrage across the political spectrum and is sure to fuel anti-immigrant sentiments in Switzerland. (...)

The issue of Muslim immigration to Switzerland has been a hotly debated topic in recent years and the flag controversy is sure to add fuel to the fire.

The Muslim population in Switzerland has more than quintupled since 1980, and now numbers about 400,000, or roughly 5% of the population. Most Muslims living in Switzerland are of Turkish or Balkan origin, with a smaller minority from the Arab world. Many of them are second- and third-generation immigrants who are now firmly establishing themselves in Switzerland.

The new Muslim demographic reality is raising tensions across large parts of Swiss society, especially as Muslims become more assertive in their demands for greater recognition of their Islamic faith.

The ensuing controversies are fuelling a debate over the role of Islam in Swiss society and how to reconcile Western values with a growing immigrant population determined to avoid assimilation.

And thus it seems that this particular proposal is back-firing spectacularly. There's an example to remember!

But it doesn't end there. We all remember the Swiss minaret referendum, don't we? At the time it was expected by many on the other side of the issue that the ban on the construction of mosque minarets would not survive exposure to the European Court of Human Rights.

The European Court of Human Rights has rejected two cases brought by Muslims against Switzerland's constitutional ban on building minarets, the tower-like structures on mosques from which Muslims are often called to prayer.

A seven-judge panel at the Strasbourg-based court said on July 8 that it would not consider the cases as the plaintiffs failed to show how the ban harmed their human rights and they therefore "cannot claim to be 'victims' of a violation" of the European Convention on Human Rights, which the court enforces.

So, what do we have here? Are these the first swallows to announce the proverbial summer? One swallow does not a summer make. I know. But both of these items may show that in Europe at least muslim activists are overplaying their hand. The system may be about to turn against them. And about time too!

However, you do have to wonder why this news, dating back to July, never made the main headlines. I've asked it before, but fears of repeating myself be damned: Where the HELL is our intrepid MSM?

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reacties:

DP111
zei

KV

I knew of the challenge and the outcome in the ECHR to the minarets referendum result. It was never going to succeed for two reasons, both of which are political, rather then the legal reasons the court gave to reject the plaintiff's case.

1. It was referendum result. Knowing the way the Swiss respect the wishes of their decisions by way of referendums, the court knew that any result that did not respect the people's decision, would have led to mockery of the court. No court can survive unless it is respected.

2. The Swiss would have withdrawn from the ECHR, and that would be a disaster as far as the court was concerned. In fact many Swiss openly stated that they would do so, of course by way of a referendum. The court will also have calculated that such a break would give encouragement to others to do the same.

Petrusic has been quite serious about his proposal to replace the Swiss flag with a flag more to his liking, until it was published in a main line newspaper. The furore that it created has led to questioning whether Muslims can really be integrated in Switzerland. The SVP has gained more credence then before. Petrusic, realising his error, is now protesting loudly, that it was meant as a joke. Ha ha Ha.

Have you noticed that many erstwhile Jihadis caught in preparation, also evoke the same line - It was meant as a joke. Ha Ha Ha.

Swiss politicians would love to bow down to Islam and Muslims. They were totally against any referendum on the issue of minarets. But what could they do? The Swiss have the right to organise a referendum on ANY subject, and then vote on it. Any politician that gainsaid the result would be standing in line at the job centre.

Swiss politicians have tried for decades to get the Swiss into the EU. The Swiss said NO. They knew that they would lose all their freedoms, and become the slaves of apparatchiks in Brussels. As per standard EU practice, Swiss politicians tried again. The result was a NO. By now the Swiss were fed up, and then passed a law that the question of joining the EU could not be asked for 10 years, unless the people themselves asked for it.

Subsequently polls indicated that the people were angry enough to punish the pro-EU parties for not listening to them. This so panicked these parties that they removed any pro-EU reference from their manifesto. They were actually begging the people not to destroy them.

That is how a real democracy works. Politicians are afraid of the people.

On the secondos site that you linked to, they are claiming that they never ever meant to change the Swiss flag. Its all a great misunderstanding.

But on the same site, we see them campaigning for a new Swiss national anthem, with the same reasons that were used for a new mult-culti Swiss flag.

The I looked at the current Swiss national anthem. English translation

1. When the morning skies grow redAnd o'er their radiance shed,Thou, O Lord, appeareth in their light.When the Alps glow bright with splendour,Pray to God, to Him surrender,For you feel and understand,For you feel and understand,That he dwelleth in this land.That he dwelleth in this land.2. In the sunset Thou art nighAnd beyond the starry sky,Thou, O loving Father, ever nearWhen to Heaven we are departing,Joy and bliss Thou'lt be imparting,For we feel and understandFor we feel and understandThat Thou dwellest in this land.That Thou dwellest in this land.3. When dark clouds enshroud the hillsAnd gray mist the valley fills,Yet Thou art not hidden from Thy sons.Pierce the gloom in which we cowerWith Thy sunshine's cleansing powerThen we'll feel and understandThen we'll feel and understandThat God dwelleth in this land.That God dwelleth in this land.4. Towards us in the wild storm coming,You yourself give us resistance and stronghold,You, almighty ruling, rescuing!During horror and nights of thunderstormsLet us childlike trust Him!Yes, we feel and understand;Yes, we feel and understand;That God dwelleth in this land.That God dwelleth in this land.

On the secondos site that you linked to, they are claiming that they never ever meant to change the Swiss flag. Its all a great misunderstanding. Well, reading the item in the Aargauer Zeitung doesn't leave much room for misunderstanding. It's a cowardly cop-out to claim that it is.

As a swede I believe my country's flag will be the first to go of all european ones with a cross motive. I base my assumptions on the multiculturalism, political correctness running rampant over here. But also because the pislamization has gone very far over here. Many cities and towns are now nearly half pislamic. Malmö today consists of 40% arselifters. Our PC MC's does not only hate our flag but also our national anthem and of course swedish culture in general.